Thread: Not Interested in Being a Millionaire

From day one I had always known that the primary motivation for people to start a business, make money, be an entrepreneur, etc is FREEDOM. Many, many books have reaffirmed this over the years. This was my number one motivation.

Freedom was what I had in terms of a good upbringing in a great area of southern California. It was instilled on us to get a good education and find your calling. I believed in an idealistic world. Thinking I was dumb in college relative to everyone else getting C's just to get by that was my idea of success and graduating (first from JC then 4 year). Did not know how to read/study till 3rd year in college when forced or flunk out.

At that time education was basically free and slid through school graduating at age 21, totally nieve relative to today's world. One thing going was perseverence once pointed in a direction. Getting through on the cheap was my sense of accomplishment while enjoying all the human interaction. Parents installed great sense of integrity now the real world would build the character. The pressures were not relative to money as I always worked and had my dream muscle cars, and played. The pressure was in knowing who and what your way was, being attracted to numbers took the substantial route to an accounting/finance degree (as opposed to a vocabulary calling like law). The pusuit was more one step in front of the other with no thought of a million dollars. Even studying finance and the markets back then I could see the sense of manipulation and lack of control as somewhat elementary.

From age 21 to 26 was growing up and advancing in corporate jobs as a late bloomer. Although very intense and hard work, tons of things were done on the side as experiences were condensed, writing a book (never finished), travel, experimenting, etc. This is when a commitment to FREEDOM was made at age 26 as I closed an escrow on a house and quit a job the next weeks. This was actually my 3rd home, the first was a mobile home which I gave away and had bought near my job, the second was bought for something like 19k or 20k behind a saloon for the party, and the 3rd was about 500 sq ft in Sierra Madre canyon. Each property was purchased at a good deal and the third was with 5k of the 10k profits on the 2nd house, so I had 5k left in the bank when I quit my corporate job. This was a huge step at the time as I had only 5k translated to time to make it. The cabin also was part of my lifestyle as planned so I never skipped a beat. But now I really wanted to make it and searched, read, everything on the planet. Nothing around in the old days like the education now (ie: Rich Dad).

Bottom line was I found ONE book in my searching by a Mormon named Mark O'Haroldson called "How to wake up the financial genius inside you" which emphasized compounding by doubling a penny everyday for 30 days and giving you of a choice of taking a million dollars or the doubling pennies, the difference was like 30 million. With the creative structuring of purchases in the book along with compounding concept, I was off to the races. I got it. It was all about the Concept to me and it has been ever since.

Universal Concepts is the constant search for fundamentals or substance. The fastest real growth possible. It is not about money but building and searching and the money just comes. To build that character you must test yourself. John Wooden states, "Success is doing the best you can possibly do" - only you know if you did your best.

Two years later everyone was saying I dont know how unicon does it, he owns all this property and never has to work. They didnt know that I was always working with my brain, but got a kick out of the reactions.

Five years later was stage two, searching out and buying a million dollar company. This was to make compounding dollars, but this was the beginning of my second education and losing a million while fighting a battle for many years.

They say you haven't really made a million untill you have lost it once or twice and made it back again, I have been there. Through it all, as stated above, it is what you learn and the experiences you take with you.

The challenges are totally different now as one is more conscious of human behavior and where all the chips will fall, it is now more about quality and freedom from a global perspective. My path has been about brutal honesty, surviving on nothing without needing alot, but using the challenge of business to test oneself while balancing oneself not to bite off more than one can chew at different timing (planning).

The differences now and then are naturally the internet, but the freedom to move and interact while not requiring money seems to be over. Although the zero based spending concept is still the most educational and substantial pursuit with real growth as a priority. If your needs are little all your gains can be funneled into compounding gains. It also teaches discipline and humility as a bonus.

Originally Posted by ZDS

Ex: Affiliate marketing will not likely make me a millionaire, however the ability to set up passive income/semi passive income from sites may allow you to focus on other more scalable businesses which allow you to seize the million dollar mark.

Perhaps, unless you own the content or do something creative.

The example I'd give is this: Making hamburgers probably won't make you a millionaire, but creating a business like McDonalds can make you a billionaire. There's infinite potential for great wealth in nearly all industries! Find a need, meet that need, and do it in a unique way that is massively scalable.

The size of your demand in combination with the effectiveness of your business plan (including scalability) determines your revenues.

Everyone likes to do it differently, I'm sure, but I personally only like finding HUGE unfilled needs and filling those gaps by creating solutions. But that's also because I'm wired to challenge myself to do things that haven't been done before.

I completely agree with the other points as well, however. The first step is defining what lifestyle you want and making up your mind that you can have it.

When you can ask yourself, "Why not me?" and instead of having reasons for 'Why not' you see all the reasons that it SHOULD be you, this is when you're ready.

I've heard it said before, "When your WHY is big enough, the HOW takes care of itself."

Define your ideal lifestyle, accept it as who you are and make the choice to be that. When you have, then work the numbers and get working on learning everything you need to know to be what you want to be!

It will be hard -- it will be a LOT of work. You will doubt yourself, experience fears, and go through a lot of uncomfortable growing pains. But never, never, never give up or compromise your vision.

Maintaining a steady vision is the #1 thing that will give you the success you desire. If you don't have a clear vision, don't expect clear results!

Wish you the best on your quest to a fulfilled life!

RR -[]-

Being a millionaire is not important for me but being successful is.

Originally Posted by GlobalWealth

Maybe this would make a good, separate thread, but 'define success'.

i was just about to ask the same question

No need for defining success, it is already done for you by John Wooden and is tried and true, tested to the nth degree!!!

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

If you want to know detail his "Pyramid of Success" (in his book) it has 15 boxes in the base of the pyramid leading up to success brought from faith and patience. John Wooden was/is the greatest college basketball coach of all time.

1) Competitive Greatness
2) Poise
3) Confidence
4) Condition
5) Skill
6) Team Spirit
7) Self-Control
8) Alertness
9) Initiative
10) Intentness
11) Industriousness
12) Friendship
13) Loyalty
14) Cooperation
15) Enthusiasm

It would take an act of a god to improve on this preparation.

Sounds like you are developing the mindset of a millionaire. Well done, it should never be about the money but about the value you can add to what you do.

I think you are on the right track to make millions

You trivialize, that is exactly how "I" define success after many years of search. It rises to the top. It has nothing to do with politicians, is not general, and is in fact very specific and substantiated.

If one is nieve enough to dismiss such global prioritized wording in exact order which has a whole book dedicated to defining each word with exact examples and their interelationship to precise cutoffs, one cannot be led to drink.

Do you think with just the above smattering that I or John Wooden or others have not thought of other possibilities of detail successes of lower standards than the above global stated definition? Do you think that he would be open to any other challenges to his definition? Do you think he would have any fear of those challenges? Do you think he would waste one ounce of time trying to convince someone who disrespected his genuis out of ignorance, to actually defend his position? If one was asking about "Success" would one not want to read a book from an icon who just happens to be an expert on the subject?

I think not.

I have to agree; success is a personal definition. I consider my mother a huge success since she raised 3 kids with no college degree, no husband, and no government help. If I asked her, she'd consider herself a success.

Peace of mind, self satisfaction, doing your best, etc. is inclusive of all of the above and more - not exclusive.

Why would anyone think that not opening a door for someone be included in the above definition, in fact the above definition would demand greater than just opening the door, but opening the door with the purist of motives.

A mother who raises kids, without government, etc doing the best she could do and with that satisfaction of that accomplishment falls under the above definition to a tee. Again it is not exclusive

As stated before to assume exclusivity has no basis, it must be factually excluded from the above definition. Not only that the entire success pyramid includes many more concepts in order, the above were just turning points. It is so much more, again supported by the entire book.

Success can be improved upon it is not closed, but true success is not defined by others, it is defined by oneself which would in most all cases include peace of mind from the self satisfaction you have done your best. This would instill the ultimate balance and confidence in any individual.

The problem is assuming. I never stated John Wooden is an idol, that was made up out of ignorance. Locking on to great truths that a great man has discovered through obvious work and courage, and gifted it to others in the form of communication so well substantiated over 80 years gets my undying respect and admiration. The fact that others may have different definitions of success is elementary. If they are truthful they will no doubt be an extension of the above definition and inclusive of it. Detail does not erase the global definition but may add to it.

The same could be applied to another great man and author M Scott Peck, who literally takes on the definitions of good and evil and love itself. Love is either work or courage - there are no exceptions. Does one know what no exceptions mean? This does not mean there are no other definitions, but those definitions will always include either work or courage indirectly.

Finally when these works are surfaced, they can be precisely ranked in communication and that prioritizing takes real work. One either gets it or they don't. Peck has been called the anti-christ, not because he is, but because others fear that truth.

When I saw the pyramid of success, I was immediately intrigued and searched out the book which futher cemented the concepts by a factor of 10. The whole purpose in this exercise is to differentuate between fact and opinion (due diligence), there are no holes in the preparation only inclusiveness. However opening a door for someone has virtually no contribution to the definition of success that has already been tested and communicated with real work. In fact I would go further to defend, make up, misquote, and misdirect are in fact blatant political defensiveness with no learning.

[POLITICAL JOKE REMOVED] Cmon, unicon, you know the rules. Doesn't matter how funny it is. Rules is rules.

It is very clear for me, success is passive income, its that simple. Im sure if the passive income goal was achieved, my mentality would change, for better or maybe worse. I agree with VanGo the .05% x X= your passive income. Since about 16 i have had this in my head, that is why my goal is a 10 million, may sound like a lot, to others maybe peanuts but that is where success is waiting for me. 500k passive a year while constantly investing it is where i want to be no matter what anyone says. Its not all about spending crazy money and being a tool, having free time, enjoying friends and family is important, not slaving away at a 9-5 making nothing.